On August 17th, the world’s governments will convene in Geneva, Switzerland, for the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP18). At CoP18, governments (or “Parties” in CITES parlance) will address the most pressing trade-related conservation issues facing wildlife and plant species around the world. EIA will be at CoP18 working to ensure that protections for threatened species like elephants, rhinos, and rosewood will be strengthened and to hold to account those Parties that have failed to meet CITES requirements.

In 2018 the Environmental Investigation Agency continued to confront the greatest environmental threats facing the world today. The EIA team pursued, documented and exposed the activities of syndicates that threaten endangered species, damage the climate and ozone layer, and drive the trade in timber stolen from the world’s most important remaining forests.

In this fourth installment of EIA’s Raw Intelligence series, we introduce you to the company Hua Jia – one of the most emblematic timber companies in Gabon. Hua Jia officials had much to say on how they and others in the industry operate – and cheat their way to profit-laden pockets.

This EIA investigation found that despite a 5th generation ban placed on the harvest and trade of rosewood (Pterocarpus erinaceus) in Ghana in March 2019 and a CITES appendix II listing that came into force in January 2017, massive illegal logging and export of Ghanaian rosewood to China continues unabated and with impunity.